WORLD CUP hero and England scrum-half Peter Richards returns to the London Irish side to take on NEC Harlequins at Madjeski Stadium in the opening Pool E game of the EDF Energy Cup on Sunday (3pm).

Richards, who came on in the second half of England’s World Cup final against South Africa in Paris last Saturday, was straight back among his club colleagues on Tuesday and pleased to get back to normality.

He admitted: “It’s been a surreal experience – for the last five weeks we’ve literally had everything done for us and all we’ve had to do was train and play.

“Now it’s back to the real world and the cooking and the cleaning!”

But the rugby won’t be any less intense on Sunday as Irish are taking the EDF competition very seriously.

Irish’s Samoan World Cup star Seilala Mapasua will probably get a break, but Irish are sticking very much to the line-up that took Gloucester’s unbeaten record away last Sunday.

Irish press officer Paddy Lennon said: “I think you’ve got to give it (the EDF Cup) a fair go and the objective is to win both games at home.”

Canadian centre Tim Curran should make his Irish debut in Mapusua’s place alongside Nils Mordt.

While born in Vancouver, the 23-year-old Curran cut his professional rugby teeth with the ACT Brumbies Academy in Australia and is equally at home in the centre or at full back.

Sunday’s game is also a chance for Irish to quickly avenge their 35-27 defeat at the hands of Harlequins in the season’s Guinness Premiership opener at Twickenham.

Quins, again under Dean Richards, have shown a lot of early form and are currently fourth in the Premiership, having won four of their opening six games and are just four points behind leaders Gloucester.

Fly-half Chris Malone is the Premiership’s leading points scorer with 76, an average of 13 per game, while scrum-half Steve So’oialo is their top try scorer with three.

Also in Pool E are Worcester Warriors and Neath/Swansea Ospreys, who meet at Sixways.

Irish play Ospreys away next week (November 4) and then entertain Worcester on Sunday December 2.